Braves face Reds in playoffs; Red Sox win Roenicke finale
ATLANTA — Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and made a leaping catch as the last-place Boston Red Sox won their final game under manager Ron Roenicke, beating the playoff-bound Atlanta Braves 9-1 Sunday.
The NL East champion Braves wound up as the No. 2 seed and will face Cincinnati in a best-of-three playoff series starting Wednesday. All games will be played in Atlanta.
Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. was scratched with left wrist irritation and right-handed reliever Chris Martin exited with right groin discomfort.
Renewed soreness in Acuña’s wrist is cause for concern. He was on the 10day injured list due to soreness in the same wrist from Aug. 12-25.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said he is confident Acuña will play Wednesday.
“That wrist thing was biting a little bit,” Snitker said. “Not bad. He wanted to play. He said it was a little sore so there was no reason for him to play. He can get treatment today, tomorrow and the next day and be ready to go.”
Snitker said Martin’s status is day to day.
Bradley had three hits, including a go-ahead home run, and made another superb play in center field.
The Red Sox announced before the final regular-season game that Roenicke will not return as manager next season. Boston won two of three from the Braves and finished 24-36.
Bradley, heading toward free agency, gave Boston a 2-1 lead with his fourthinning homer to left-center off Will Smith (2-1).
J.D. Martinez had a two-run homer, the biggest hit in Boston’s five-run seventh off Luke Jackson. Xander Bogaerts and Jonathan Arauz also homered. Arauz had three hits and drove in three runs.
Bogaerts said he decided before the game he wanted to hit a homer for Roenicke and then give the manager a “big hug before I go to all the other guys.”
“Everything just happened so quick and I kind of just forgot,” Bogaerts said. “But I told myself I was going to try to hit one for him and win this game for him.”
Roenicke said managing his last game with the Red Sox “was fine. It’s still concentrate on what I had to do.”
He said the postgame “was a little tough in the clubhouse. Some guys spoke. So that was a little tough, a little emotional.”
Nick Pivetta (2-0) allowed one run on four hits and two walks in five innings.
Marcell Ozuna hit a 468-foot homer, his Nl-leading 18th, off Pivetta in the first. Ozuna also led the NL with 56 RBIS and hit .338.